Blocking by Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies of Monoclonal Antibody-Mediated Protection Against Lethal Semliki Forest Virus in Mice

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Abstract
Semliki Forest virus-(SFV) neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), produced after fusion of spleen cells from BALB/c mice and myeloma cell line P3-X63-AG8. 653 or SP2/0, were used for anti-idiotypic immunization of female BALB/c mice. Two intracutaneous immunizations (2 .times. 40 .mu.g per animal), 3 weeks apart, with keyhole limpet haemocyanin-conjugated MoAbs mixed with the saponin Quil A were sufficient to induce high levels of anti-idiotypic antibodies in the circulation of these mice with the capacity to block specificially in vitro MoAb-mediated virus neutralization. Anti-idiotypic antibodies against SFV-neutralizing MoAbs, either passively transferred or actively acquired by immunization, are also able to abrogate (specifically) passive immunity, mediated by critical protective doses of MoAb, in mice against infection with a lethal strain of SFV. Furthermore we confirmed by intervention with anti-idiotypic serumin vivo that an SFV-neutralizing MoAb exerts its greatest protective effect during the first 2 days of infection.